Keeper and Protector (Joshler) ??

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"I linger in the doorway of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name."

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When Tyler came down into the kitchen the next morning, still sleepy as could be, he found Josh with his head nearly in his cereal bowl.

"Joshua?" Tyler said his name softly. When he didn't get a response, he came a few steps closer and touched his shoulder a little. "Josh?"

Josh jumped awake, making Tyler jump as well. "Oh, gosh," he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. "Must have nodded off." When he looked up and saw that it was Tyler, he smiled a little. "Good morning, Ty. How did you sleep?"

Tyler shuffled back and forth on his feet. "I slept okay. I take it you didn't sleep well?"

"I went to bed a little late. I was up finishing a project that's due today at work."

Tyler's mind went back to the previous night's activities; they had finally ate the dinner Josh had promised he'd make and then they watched Netflix and talked for a long time. It was sometime after midnight that Tyler had started falling asleep, so Josh helped him upstairs, gave him some clean pajamas to change into and told him good night.

He'd assumed Josh went to bed after that as well... but apparently not.

Chewing at his bottom lip, Tyler looked down at his feet. "M'sorry I kept you up late. I didn't mean to."

"Sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry for." Josh reached over and took Tyler's hand. "I wanted to spend time with you. You're much more important than some dumb project. Trust me."

Tyler memorized the way that Josh's hand felt in his, tiny sparks running through his fingertips. "You really mean that?"

"Absolutely." Josh gave his hand a small squeeze. "How are you feeling today?"

Tyler shrugged. "I'm okay. Still tired and sore, but better than I have been."

"I'm glad." Letting go of his hand, Josh stood to his feet and picked up his cereal bowl. "Guess I should get dressed for work, yeah? Fynnley will be here before I leave."

"Oh, okay."

"If you're feeling up to it, I'd like for him to take you shopping so you can buy clothes and anything else you need. I'll leave my credit card with him."

Tyler was astonished. Josh was giving him money to spend on himself? "Really?"

"Of course. But only if you feel up to it, okay? I don't want you overdoing it."

Tyler nodded a little. "Thank you, Josh. It means a lot." Swallowing hard, he leaned over and pecked a quick kiss onto Josh's cheek. It probably was too forward, but... he had to at least do something to express his gratitude, right?

To his surprise, Josh just smiled and patted the side of Tyler's arm. "I'll be in my room if you need me," he said over his shoulder as he walked away.

Tyler touched the spot where Josh's hand had been, a tiny group of butterflies fluttering inside his stomach.

He hadn't felt that in forever. It was strange, peculiar, exciting...

It was... nice.

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Tyler felt like the most boring and bland person ever to exist as he sat in Fynn's car, hand gripping the door handle as they weaved in and out of traffic.

Here he was dressed in a faded tee shirt and a worn pair of jeans while riding on heated leather seats. Even Fynn himself was so much more... put together than him. Just like yesterday, he looked like a model, while Tyler was just the lackey assistant with mismatched socks.

Such was the life of a Keeper trying to find his heart (and Protector) again.

Fynn glanced over at Tyler. "Doing okay over there?"

Tyler shrugged. "I guess. I just feel weird."

"Like sick? Do you want me to pull over?"

He shook his head. "Not that, I just..." He tried to search for the right words. "I feel emotionally exhausted, if that makes any sense?"

Fynn nodded. "It makes a lot of sense, actually."

Tyler was glad that at least someone understood his madness. "I'm just afraid that I'll see my ex-Protector again and he'll try to hurt me."

"I won't let that happen," Fynn reassured him. "Josh made me promise to keep you safe, no matter what."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. He isn't taking this lightly, you know."

Tyler ran his hand up and down the side of his arm, the same one Josh had touched earlier. He really hoped that him staying here wasn't putting too much pressure on Josh. "I can tell. He stayed up late with me last night, even though he had work to do." He looked away. "He didn't have to do all that, you know. I'm not that important."

"You are important. But one thing you should know about Josh, it's all or nothing. When he wants to fight for something or someone important, you can't stop him." Fynn sighed a little. "I wish I was more like that sometimes."

Tyler studied Fynn's profile, noticing the subtle hints of sadness etched onto his face. In the back of his mind, he wondered what Fynn really was all about...

What was his story?

"I just feel so nervous around him." Tyler traced a fingertip over his Time Keeper symbol. "My Time Keeper doesn't seem to mind, though."

"I think Josh is just as nervous as you are. Last night, he told me he's going to--" Fynn cut himself off mid-sentence. "Never mind, I probably shouldn't tell you that."

But those were words spoken too late. "Tell me what? What did he say?"

Fynn scratched the back of his neck. "I shouldn't say. I mean, it's nothing bad..."

"Then tell me."

"But, Ty..."

Tyler pouted a little. "C'mon, Fynn-ley," he whined, dragging the syllables out in his name.

Fynn chuckled. "Little jerk. Fine, I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to mention it to Josh."

Tyler held his pinky out. "Pinky promise?"

Grinning, Fynn reached over and linked their pinkies. "Pinky promise." He took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "So, Josh told me that, tonight, he's going to officially ask if he can be your Protector."

"Wow."

Tyler wasn't... entirely surprised. After all, that was the main reason Josh had found him in the first place. He wasn't looking for some sort of emotionally screwed-up housemate... he wanted to lay it all on the line for him.

Closing his eyes, Tyler tried to wrap his mind around the situation. He had spent months upon months with someone who backed him into a corner every day and kept him trapped there... that is until he finally had the courage to leave. And as much as he wanted to ignore them, there were still figurative and literal scars that he had to deal with.

As sweet as Josh seemed... how could he really be sure?

He was a Keeper. And Keepers wanted... no, they needed affection from their Protectors.

But how was he supposed to give Josh the broken pieces of his heart without the fear that they would be tossed aside?

Fynn's voice brought Tyler out of his thoughts. "Is that a scary thought for you?"

Tyler looked ahead, hands folded in his lap. "It is." His voice came out soft but steady. "But I've had worse ones."

Fynn glanced over at him but otherwise kept silent.

"I want to be strong for him."

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Stick with me, frens, I appreciate you.

What's your favorite color?

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